


Mistletoe Dreams - Darcyland Christmas Challenge - Day 7

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Series: Darcyland Christmas Challenge 2018 [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Darcyland (Marvel), Darcyland Christmas Challenge, F/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 14:58:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17164103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: It must have been the mistletoe...?





	Mistletoe Dreams - Darcyland Christmas Challenge - Day 7

**Author's Note:**

> And boom! Challenge met and completed!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I've got a new 'verse (not this one, though I've made notes) in my head that I'm feeling out. It's a pack dynamics type universe, though not the ABO stuff most people associate that with. I'm feeling my way through the world-building, so wish me luck.

[ ](https://imgur.com/cw9YuvT)

Now matter how long she’d been doing this job, early mornings still sucked.

Sometimes Darcy seriously missed following Jane around to look at stars. Okay, so working with the half-crazy astrophysicist meant long stretches of boredom interspersed with moments of heart-stopping terror . . . but it never meant alarm clocks going off at three in the morning. That might be when they went to bed, but not dragging themselves out of it. Unfortunately, with Jane ensconced at Culver for now, she couldn’t justify paying for an assistant with so many real science students hanging around. 

A little smug thread of pride tugged on Darcy’s heart every time Jane called to complain about her gaggle of interns - their inability to organize her notes in a way that made sense, their refusal to learn how to make good coffee, and how they didn’t seem to understand her humor. It might be bad of her, but she didn’t care. 

Darcy Lewis knew how to take care of genius scientists. 

Didn’t she wish she had one to take care of now.

However, since she didn’t - and since SHIELD imploded when it turned out it had one hell of a pest infestation - she needed to get her ass out of bed. The cooking wouldn’t start itself.

Once upon a time ago, she flirted with the idea of working for SHIELD. Agent iPod Thief, aka Phil Coulson, had talked to her about the idea, but when everything fell apart, he had to rebuild in secrecy and she didn’t qualify as ‘vital’. So she found a job at a diner just around the corner from Avengers Tower. Granted, not the ideal spot since that place had a huge target on it, but it could have been worse. Pete, the owner of the place, needed someone who could actually cook and since the job came with the upstairs apartment, Darcy snapped it up. 

Now, all these months later, Pete spent most of his free time running around after his kids and leaving the running of the diner up to her.

Of course, the nights could be just as bad as the mornings . . . but sometimes they made up for all the trouble.

“Darcy! Your uncle’s here!”

“He’s not my uncle, Liz!”

Liz stuck her head in through the swinging door. “Then can I have him?”

“You keep your sticky fingers off him and anyone with him,” Darcy laughed as she followed the younger woman into the front of the near empty diner. “They’ll break you.”

“Hey!”

Lifting her eyebrows as she turned towards the group taking up two of their largest tables, Darcy focused in on the one pouting face. “Tell me I’m wrong.” Clint frowned, clearly wanting to, but after a moment, he slumped back. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She turned her gaze to the only suit of the bunch. “So, Son of Coul, what’s the what?”

Coulson sighed. “Ms. Lewis-.”

“You’re interrupting my clean-up, Agent,” she interrupted, a cheerful smirk slipping onto her lips. “I’ve gone from an empty place to most of the Avengers - plus friends - taking up spots. And since I’m supposed to be closing in fifteen minutes, you better be making this worth it.”

“We just got back from a job,” Steve replied. “Your place was the only one we could all agree on.”

“Now **that’s** worth hearing.” Her gaze did a quick sweep, but finding no major injuries, she filed the night under a win and moved on. “If you’ll shout out your drink orders, Liz will get those handled.”

After Liz went to get the drinks, Darcy leaned towards the table. “Look, it’s Christmas Eve,” she noted, keeping her voice low. “I’ve almost got the place ready to close and I want to send Liz home. Any way I can talk one of you into some donated labor so the teenager can go home to her family?”

“I’ll do it.”

Turning a grin on the speaker, Darcy pointed at Bucky. “Your ticket’s just been paid.”

“I should order the steak.” The teasing lilt in his voice deepened her grin as he looked over the menu. “Or something like that.”

“Will you actually eat all of that?” Still smiling, she gave him her best ‘Mama Bear’ look. (Jane’s name for it, not hers, but she could hear the scientist’s voice in her head every time she used it.) They’d been playing this game since the first time Steve brought him into her place, but this was the first time he'd ever really indicated any kind of preference. “If you’ll eat it, I’ll make it.”

“No, Doll, don’t bother. Not in the mood for steak anyway.”

“He is eating better,” Steve pointed out, a pleased look on his face. He once thanked her for treating Bucky like a normal human being instead of a ticking time bomb. Somehow that turned into her becoming one of his inner circle of friends. “Almost matching me now.”

“Good to know,” she chuckled, making a mental note to start tripling and quadrupling Bucky’s serving sizes as well. “You still banned from the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet?”

Her words brought laughter and taunts, both of which he took with a good-natured grin. Liz brought out the drinks and then the Avengers and friends got to watch as a mini-battle of the wills took place between the two. There may have even been a few bets going on, but she didn’t spare them her attention until she’d bundled the girl out the door. Locking it behind her, she flipped the sign to closed and returned to the table.

“Okay, folks, what’ll it be?” Darcy smiled and pulled out a notepad. “We’ve got a little of all the specials left. Or I can make you something?”

“Why don’t you just bring out what you’ve got?” Steve suggested after a quick glance at his companions. “It’s late. There’s no reason for you to go to any trouble. We’re not picky.”

“Speak for yourself,” Tony interjected.

“Hush, Tony.” Pepper laid a hand over his and turned a smile on Darcy. “I agree with Steve.”

“You got it.” Darcy crooked a finger at Bucky. “Come on, temporary minion. You can help me haul all this food out here. I’ve seen Steve eat - and if you’re getting close to him, then we’re just bringing everything.”

With Bucky’s help, she hauled out all of the food still ready for eating. Deciding to make it a serve-yourself style buffet, they set it on the main bar. Trays of food filled the flat surface while the scents, both savory and sweet, mingled in the air. People began to get up from their seats, shuffling over to more or less form a line. 

The Avengers lined up in her diner for dinner . . . she wanted to snicker, or grab her phone to take pictures. Jane would find it funny when she got to town. Though Thor might be upset that he missed it.

“There seems to be quite a variety,” Pepper noted. “Do you always do so many specials?”

“Nope.” Darcy shook her head as she continued to set things up on the bar. “But I figured for Christmas we might as well bring them all out. They’re favorites around here anyway. Being so close to the Tower, all the tourists love ordering themed stuff.”

“Themed?”

“Themed,” Coulson sighed. “Her boss lets Ms. Lewis run things, so all of her specials are related to the Avengers in some way.”

“Yep - so we’ve got things like Thor’s Pockets - those are savory pastries, fillings depending on day and season. The Big Guy orders them every time he’s in town. They’re matched by the Foster’s Pockets which are sweet pastries.”

“What about me?” Tony piped up, eyeing the spread with interest. 

“Cool your jets,” Darcy ordered, looking back at Pepper. “Thor’s Pockets, Hulk Stew, Agent Quiche, and Hawkeye’s Pockets are all actual food. The rest are really in the dessert category.” She made her way down the line, pointing out each one. “Foster’s Pockets, Starks Sugar Cookies, Potts Divinity - don’t bother arguing, I never listen -, Falcon’s Lazy Dazy Cake and Cap’s Hot Fudge Pudding Cake.” Then she gestured over her shoulder with a thumb. “I’m set up to make Black Widow Mochas, Iron Man Cider, and Winter Soldier Hot Chocolate.” Bucky gave her a flat look which she ignored as Steve snickered at his best friend. “I’m still deciding on something for War Machine.”

Pepper blinked at the flow of words. “I still feel like I should protest,” she began.

“Again, no.” She grinned at the somewhat stunned redhead. “I want to do something for Betty Ross too, but like hell I’m naming anything that might be mistaken for her idiot sperm-donor.”

“You want a different job, kid?” Tony grinned as he snatched up a cookie. “I’ll hire you right now. No idea what for, but I’m sure we can find something. Right now, on the spot, based on that comment alone I’d hire you.”

“As long as it comes with free room and board as well as a clause that makes it impossible for you to fire me due to a sarcastic mouth that sometimes forgets tact exists,” she riposted. “If you want to take that on, we’ll talk after the first.” Laughing, she started handing out plates. “And if it’s something I’d want, maybe we’ll do more than joke.”

“Deal.”

After they finished scarfing down what remained of her food, Darcy shooed them out of the diner. “I want to go home sometime before Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day.” And then she and Bucky got to work cleaning the place. The man still didn’t talk much, but he worked hard and they wrapped everything up in under an hour.

“Nice teamwork,” she complimented. “Now I can lock up and head upstairs.” He didn’t reply - his eyes fixed on the ceiling over her head. So she glanced up.

Mistletoe. A single sprig of mistletoe dangled from the ceiling.

“Where the hell did that come from?” she demanded, staring at it. “I sure didn’t hang it.”

“Don’t look at me, princess,” Bucky replied when her gaze swung to him. 

“Stark or Clint then.” Darcy heaved out a sigh. “Two biggest pranksters I’ve ever met.”

“Could’ve been Steve.”

“Steve?” Her eyebrows flew up in surprise. “Why would Steve hang mistletoe in here? He’s not usually the one pulling stunts in my place.”

“Punk’s trying to push a few buttons.”

Now she studied him. Darcy might not be a genius, but observant? Oh, hell yes she was. And spy or no spy, trained agent or whatever, she could see the lightest of flushes in Bucky’s cheeks. Hints of a blush plus his words plus the mistletoe over her head? Yeah, it didn’t take a genius to add one and one to get two.

“You been thinking about kissing me, handsome?”

Cautious blue eyes studied her. “Maybe?”

Crooking her finger at him again, she gestured him over to her. He moved towards her, slow and perhaps a little reluctant, but he still moved until he stood in front of her. Darcy reached up and cupped her fingers around his face. “I’d say that maybe you should start with asking me out first next time, but since it’s Christmas…”

Bucky didn’t fight her - he let her pull him down until she could brush her lips over his. Just light brushes at first, then she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. 

It stayed soft for all of about two seconds.

Then he responded - and her brain considered short-circuiting as the movement of his mouth on hers sent lightning zipping through her veins. Darcy had been attracted to him when he first came to her bar, still a half wild hobo of a man. Since then, the attraction never waivered - instead it deepened. She looked forward to his visits, always making time to come out of the kitchen to talk to him. It’d be a lie if she tried to claim she’d never wondered what his kiss might taste like.

Now, all she could think was . . .yum! And more.

He pulled back. Pride tugged at her when she got a good look at his eyes and realized the kiss had affected him too. He looked at her like a hungry man waiting for dinner. Not a starving man; at least not yet, but she bet she could make that happen. Did she want to? Her lips parted and her tongue swept over her top lip. When his eyes darkened at that, she made her decision.

_Yes, yes she did._

“Okay, handsome, mistletoe kiss done.”

“Right.” Disappointment flickered in his gaze only to shift to bewilderment when she didn’t let him step back. “Darcy?”

“I’m going to lock up,” she informed him. “Then you’re going to walk me up to my place and we’ll have a nightcap. Maybe two. During this time, we’ll try a couple more kisses to see if this was a fluke or if there’s some definite chemistry there.” A smirk began to curve his lips as she continued to talk. “If the chemistry wins, then we’re going to talk about next steps, got it?”

“Got it.”

“Good.” Darcy let go of his face. She immediately latched on to his arm and began tugging him towards the back. “Then let’s go. I want a drink and another kiss . . . probably not in that order.”

A chuckle, one filled with both humor and wicked mischief, came from the man behind her, drawing out her own mischievous smile. Okay, so the past year had been tough. The new year seemed to be shaping up to a great start.

No matter what though - kisses from James Buchanan Barnes on Christmas Eve?

Talk about the best possible present . . . ever.


End file.
